leave. >> safer: but it isn't just that cold-blooded menace that defines baldwin, the actor. >> alec baldwin: he has brought down the house on a dozen stints on "saturday night live," where his slapstick send-ups of everyone from robert de niro to tony bennett... >> baldwin: ♪ i love things that are great... >> safer: ...to a perverted scout master... >> baldwin: whoops, my shirt fell off. >> safer: ...have become cult classics. and yet, it's his off-screen performances that can get in the way of a truly gifted man. and often it's his liberal politics that make him red meat for his critics. >> baldwin: they hate liberals who can throw a punch. >> safer: "they"? who's "they"? who's... >> baldwin: they, the vast right-wing conspiracy that's after me. ( laughter ) >> safer: liberal politics has always been his passion. he grew up in a working-class family on long island, new york. he has an impressive grasp of the issues and spends a huge amount of his time and money supporting causes he believes in: animal rights, the environment, the arts. but his bare-knuckled approach to political discourse

but for a man so smart and so generous and so talented, alec baldwin sure can be dumb. gets him into trouble. >> did i say that? >> safer: yes, you did. >> how rude of you to bring that up, morley. >> i'm steve kroft. >> i'm lesley stahl. >> i'm bob simon. >> i'm morley safer. >> i'm anderson cooper. >> i'm scott pelley. those stories and andy rooney tonight on "60 minutes." ♪ throughout our lives, we encounter new opportunities. at the hartford, we help you pursue them with confidence. by preparing you for tomorrow. while protecting what you have today. you've counted on us for 200 years. let's embrace tomorrow. and with the hartford behind you, achieve what's ahead of you. camo, sweet! - chili peppers? - because... you're hot. alright! kmart makes christmas count with all joe boxer... family sleepwear -- buy one, get one free. there's smart, and there's kmart smart. transform drinks you want, into cold medicine you need. introducing fast crystal packs. a new way from alka-seltzer plus to... get cold and flu relief in a taste-free, fizz-free powder. alka-seltzer plus.